Sofa-bed.



No. 888,865. PATENTED MAY 26, 1908.

F. BENNETT.

SOFA BED. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1906.

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FREDERICK BENNETT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

SOFA-BED.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented. May 26, 1908.

Application filed November 23, 1906. Serial No. 344,797.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK BENNETT, of Ravenswood, Long Island, city of New York, county of Queens, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sofa-Beds, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact specification, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in sofa-beds of that class in which a frame or body is provided and two bed members mounted thereon, the members being connected together by a hinge and arranged so that one of the members may beraised vertically to convert the device into a sofa or thrown down horizontally to convert the device into a bed.

The principal object of my present invention is to reduce the structure to the simplest possible form, without in any way impairing its attractive appearance and eflicient action.

It is also an object of my invention to render the device easy of adjustment so that the bed sections may be moved from one position to another without requiring any considerable strength on the part of the operator. In attaining'this end I provide a frame or body which is composed, in its preferred form, of two end members forming the ends of the sofa and the head and foot of the bed and rigidly joined together at their lower portion by a box which serves in addition as a receptacle for bed clothes and the like. Between the two end members are arranged the bed members. These extend longitudinally of the frame and are hinged together. When the device is adjusted as a sofa one of the bed members stands vertical and forms the back and to this member is pivoted two links which are also pivoted to the frame. This arrangement allows as will be fully set forth hereinafter the two bed members to be adjusted at will. I have found, however, that the device is unsatisfactory in operation unless provision is made for relieving the weight of the bed members. To overcome this obstacle I attach to the bed members a spring or springs located preferably at the hin es and serving to exert a strain tending to c lose the bed members one upon the other. This arrangement, it will be seen, bears part of the weight of the back section as the same is thrown down to convert the device into a bed and avoids a crashing downward movement of this member. It also assists in raising either of the bed members when the user desires to gain access to the box, and still furtherand of e ual importance, this spring device tends to iold the bed members adjusted in several positions and avoids the necessity of a catch or the like for this purpose. I

My invention involves various other fea tures of major or minor importance and all will be fully set forth hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the claims;

Reference is now had to the accompanying drawings which illustrate as an example the preferred embodiment of my invention, in which drawings,-Figure 1 is a view of the device with one of the end members of the frame cut away showing the sofa adjustment in full lines and the bed adjustment in broken lines. two bed members with butts broken away clearly to illustrate their construction, and Fig. 3 is a detail showing the stop.

10 indicates one of the end members of the frame. upper edges to serve as arms for the sofa and they are joined rigidly together at their lower portions by the box 11 which serves the twofold purpose of a frame member and receptado for bed-clothes. On the inner side of each of the end members 10 directly above the box 11 is arranged a rail 12. These rails are designed to support the bed sections 14 and 1 1 when the device is in the bed adjustment as shown by the broken lines in Fig. 1.

The bed members 14 and 14 are hinged to each other at each end, by means of butts 15 and pins 16 so that they may freely assume the positions shown. To the pins 16 of the hinges torsional springs 17 are applied, one end of each spring being connected to its pin and the other connected to one of the butts 15. The pin is fast to the other butt and loosely engaged with the first named butt so that in effect the ends of the springs are connected respectively with the two butts and through them with the two bed members. These springs tend to close the butts exerting, when the parts are in the position shown by full lines in Fig. 1, an upward tension on the member 14. and an upward tension on the member 14: with the result that should it be desired to lift the member 14 to gain access to the box 11, the spring assists in this operation and with the further result that should it be desired to throw the member 14 down to the bed adjustment, the spring resists this Fig. 2 is a perspective of the These are suitably formed at their.

downward movement and prevents said mem ber from crashing down against the box. Still further, the springs tend to hold the bed members in the adjustment shown in Fig. 1 and prevent them from accidentally moving to the bed position. At the front ends of the rails 12 rollers 18 are provided to support the bed member 14 and allow it to slide freely and at the inner corners of this member 14 brackets 19 are attached carrying rollers 20 which run on the rails 12 and support the bed member at this point.

21 indicates the links, one of which is shown in its two positions in Fig. 1. These links are two in number and are pivoted one end to the rear edges of the end members 10 at the inner sides thereof and at the other end to the bed member 14 in such position that when the butts are adjusted as in Fig. 1, the links extend from their stationary ends diagonally upward and forward and when the bed members are thrown down as shown by the broken lines in Fig. 1, the links extend diagonally downward and forward. These links not only sustain the member 14 in the said position, but guide the two bed members as they are moved from one position to another and hold said bed. members in the bed position, preventing them from moving out of place.

22 indicates a stop of which there are two. These stops are secured to the back of the bed member 14 at the sides thereof to engage the pivoted ends of the links 21 and prevent said bed member from falling forward. These stops do not interfere with the proper operation of the bed.

In the use of the device, the bed members may be readily thrown from one position to another the links guiding and holding them, and the springs assisting in the operation in the various respects enumerated. These springs and the hinge pins or pintles which they inclose are embedded in the upholstery of the members 14 and 14 and are not ordinarily visible. In Fig. 2 the upholstery isbroken away to expose the springs.

Having thus specifically described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a sofa bed, the combination of a frame, two bed members hinged to each other, of which members one is mounted to slide horizontally on the frame, a link pivoted to the frame and to the other bed member, the link extending from its framepivot upward and forward to the second named bed member when the same is in sofa adjustment and the link carrying the second member to swing bodily with the link and to turn pivotally thereon, a spring acting between the bed members adjacent to the hinge and tending to close them upon each other, and a stop carried by the second bed member in position to engage the framepivoted end of the link when the second bed member is in sofa adjustment to prevent the bed member from falling forward.

2. In a sofa bed, the combination of a frame two hingedly connected bed members of which one is arranged to slide horizontally on the frame, a link pivoted to the frame and to the second bed member, said link extending from its frame-pivot upward and forward to the second member when the same is in vertical sofa adjustment and the link carrying the second member to swing bodily with the link and to turn pivotally thereon and a stop secured to the second named bed member in position to engage the frame-pivoted end of the link when the second bed member is in sofa adjustment to prevent the bed member from falling for: ward.

3. In a sofa bed the combination of a frame, two hingedly connected bed mem bers of which one is arranged to slide hori zontally on the frame, a link pivoted to the frame and to the second bed member, said link extending from its frame-pivot upward and forward to the second member when the same is in vertical sofa adjustment, said link carrying the second member to swing bodily with the link and to turn pivotally thereon when moving to bed adjustment a stop secured to the second named bed member in position to engage the link when the second bed member is in sofa adjustment to prevent the bed member from falling forward, and a spring acting between the bed members adjacent to the axial line of the hinge and tending to close them upon each other.

4. I11 a sofa bed, the combination with a frame, of two upholstered bed members of which the one is mounted to slide horizontally on the frame, hinges located at the side edges of the bed members and joining them together, the hinges and their pintles located below the surface of the upholstery and leaving the part of the bedbetween the hinges free to sag with the weight of the occupant of the bed, links pivoted to the frame and to the second bed member to per mit adjustment of the bed substantially as described, springs connected with the sections of the hinges and exerting strain thereon along the axial line of the hinges tending to close the bed members on each other, and means coacting with the links to prevent the second bed member from falling forward when in vertical sofa adjustment.

FREDERICK BENNETT.

itnesses ISAAC B. OWENS, ETHEL I. MCLAUGHLIN. 

